


Finest Decisions / Broken Opinions

by M3zzaTh3M3z



Series: Widdershins Prompt Fills [6]
Category: Widdershins (Webcomic)
Genre: Domestic, Family Issues, Friendship, Gen, Prompt Fill, post curtain-call
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:36:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M3zzaTh3M3z/pseuds/M3zzaTh3M3z
Summary: Life would be way easier if I were easier. Fact.Ben sees his family for the first time after the Sins Incident.





	Finest Decisions / Broken Opinions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Heylir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heylir/gifts).

> Title from Called On by Hudson Taylor because I've decided it's my mission to have a fic named for each HT song I love sorry. Also I'm too indecisive so looks like double titles are a thing for me now.

Wolfe could hear the arguing before he could make out the words, Ben’s shrill indignation bouncing back and forth with Mal’s up-and-down gruffness as they made their way up the stairs to the little flat. Sighing, Wolfe closed his book and set it aside. Further noise-complaints from the neighbours were almost certain at this rate, and he really did not want the hassle of searching for yet another place to stay.

Still, he smiled as always as Mal and Ben finally came through the door, caught up in whatever squabble it was this time. “_Hallo,_ my friends. I was not expecting you both back so soon, or together for that matter. You did not go to meet Ben’s family with him, did you, Mal?”

Ben winced, clearly horrified by the thought. “No, he didn’t. I ran into him as I was passing through Old Market Square, and he accosted me with ridiculous questions about our reading all the way home.” He pinched the bridge of his nose where his glasses dug in, and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. “Honestly, we might have to restart the whole thing, it’s clear he hasn’t taken in a word.”

Wolfe frowned slightly in confusion – not only did Mal tend to avoid the busy square as much as possible, he’d been quite happily chatting about the book they’d been collectively guiding him through just earlier that morning (as much as Mal happily chatted about anything.)

“All I _said_ was I reckon it’s the peeler that did it,” Mal said, in a plaintive tone of voice suggesting to Wolfe, even in the unlikely event this was all he had said, he’d certainly been saying it for much longer than Ben’s nerves could withstand.

“But that doesn’t make any sense!”

“’xactly!” Mal looked very pleased with himself as he shrugged off his coat and Wolfe fought not to smile. He didn’t want to encourage their ridiculous quarrels, but they were rather entertaining upon occasion. “So then yer surprised when it _is_ him at th’ end!”

Sighing, Ben sat opposite Wolfe at the little wobbly table and pulled out one of his notebooks from a coat pocket. “But what about all the clues? Look, I’ve been keeping note of them, there’s the broken window, the strange man the servant saw, the mysterious fragments of burnt letter… Not to mention the inspector had never met any of the family before the murder! Why would he have done such a thing?”

“’Cause he’s a bastard.”

“Mal, in these books, the true criminal is usually one of the people the good policeman investigates,” Wolfe explained gently. “I think it must have been the priest, myself.”

“No, it was obviously the young lady,” Ben said, flipping a page in his notebook. Despite claiming not to like such ‘sensationalist fiction,’ he’d certainly kept a keen interest in the little murder mystery, and though in theory the book had been chosen as more likely to retain Mal’s interest than a romance or such, Wolfe suspected Ben harboured a secret fondness for mysteries himself.

Mal leaned over and squinted at the page Wolfe knew he wouldn’t be able to read – something about Ben’s handwriting made it even more difficult for him than usual. “Aye? And why’s tha’ then?”

Sensing the argument could go on for quite some time, Wolfe held up his hands. “How about Mal read us some more this evening, so we shall be closer to finding the true answer? Ben, how were your family?”

Silence for a moment, then Ben stiffly closed his notebook. “They were fine.”

“They must have been relieved to see you well after last month, no?” More silence, Ben’s eyes boring holes into the table. Too late, Wolfe noticed Mal’s warning glare and tried to backtrack. “I am sorry, I should not pry.”

“It’s – fine. They were – fine.”

Mal shifted awkwardly on the spot. “’m gonna…” he mumbled, and made an escape to their shared bedroom. In this case, Wolfe couldn’t condemn him for avoiding responsibility, it was his own questions, not Mal’s, that plummeted Ben’s mood.

“Are you alright, my friend?” he asked quietly. Ben remained motionless in his chair, his eyes low. “Please forgive me, I forget family is not always the happiest topic.”

“It’s not _them_,” Ben finally replied, and propped his chin up with his hand, elbows resting on the table in a most un-Ben-like way. “It’s _me._ Sometimes I think…

“Yes?”

“I think life would be much easier if _I_ were easier.”

After the events of last month, Wolfe had been given strict instructions by Ms Cunningham to keep an eye on Ben, as though he would not anyway, but particularly to look out for signs of his self-confidence slipping again. This certainly seemed like one of those times. He decided it would be best to carefully press, to get the root of the matter. “Easier? How do you mean?”

Ben shrugged, sighing. “Oh, you know. More like – you. You’re always so gentle, and forgiving, and carefree…”

“I am not without my flaws, as you well know. And I am certainly not carefree when a friend is hurting.”

“All I ever do is make things tense and cause arguments,” Ben continued miserably, as though he had not heard. “I can’t let things lie the way you do. I couldn’t even let O’Malley have his ridiculous theories about a frivolous little book without insisting on setting him right.”

“Ah, I think that may have been intentional on Mal’s part,” Wolfe said, smiling slightly despite his concern for Ben. Those two squabbled like children, but once you knew where to look, their friendship evidently ran deep. “He must have guessed you would be upset after your meeting, and I believe his questions about the book were meant to distract you on the way home. He has mentioned correcting him always seems to cheer you up. I expect he was waiting for you in the square.”

Ben’s eyes flicked up in surprise, then he bit his lip and slowly lowered them again. “I see. Suppose I had better apologise to him later.”

“Did you argue with your family?” Wolfe asked. “If you wish to tell me about it, it may help, and I shall not judge.”

“I know you won’t.” Closing his eyes, Ben inhaled deeply, straightened himself up, and opened his eyes again. “It wasn’t anything important. The twins told me all about what they’ve been doing – they’re doing well – _really _well,” – he briefly closed his eyes again, spreading his fingers wide in front of him, one of his habitual calming actions – “And I’m glad of that, I _am_, I do want my brother and sister to be happy of course, but –“

“They are immodest with it?” Wolfe guessed.

“Hm? Oh, no, well, yes, but I’m used to that. But then everyone asked me what I had been doing, and I told them all about the Sins incident – well not _all_ about – and not about O’Malley of course, the twins work in the government, but I told them _most_ of it and – then when I had finished, do you know what they did?”

Wolfe shook his head. In over a year of living with Ben, the most he’d learnt of his family was the occasional weekends he’d disappear back home for. Even his siblings had been a total unknown until this moment. He was ashamed to say he hadn’t realised until tonight what a difficult subject it was for him, and wondered how long Mal had known. Probably since the start.

“They looked at me for a moment, and then Byrony asked what Sin gave me my haircut – don’t look like that, I know O’Malley did his best, I rather like it actually – and my mother scolded me about it and…”

“Yes?”

“I, um.” Ben reddened slightly, clearly semi-proud but restrained by the shame of disobedience drilled into him. “I started a row. In the café. I don’t remember everything I said, but I think it was along the lines of I’m an adult, I’m a wizard, I’ve faced down demons, and I can pick my own haircut if I very well want. Even if I didn’t technically pick this, I suppose,” he added, one hand unconsciously going to his ends. He sighed again, and his mouth tightened to a line. “Anyway, everyone’s upset, I’ll have to go and apologise tomorrow before they go home, and I’ve caused a lot of trouble over nothing. I should have just let it go.”

“I will admit you are not ‘easy,’ as you say,” Wolfe said, but held up a hand when Ben’s shoulders sank lower. “Let me finish, if you please. You are not easy, but that is no weakness, it is a great strength. The easy way, the easy life, you know that is not always the correct choice. You will not ‘just let things go,’ and we are the much more fortunate for it. There have been many times you could have walked away from danger, but you never did, and we are all better for it.”

Ben stared at him for a few moments, a slow frown gathering on his brow. “Well, maybe, but that’s all different –“

“Not entirely. You have a strong desire to put things to rights, no? And you apply it equally to protecting the town and petty arguments. Standing up for yourself is not petty at all though, it is not right for your family to belittle your actions.” Wolfe hated anger, but he felt its stirrings now, to hear how little Ben’s immediate family thought of him. At least he had Ms Cunningham. And now, he had him and Mal also. “For what it is worth, Mal and I are both proud of you, and proud to be your friend, ‘easy’ or not.”

Only a few months ago, maybe mere weeks, Ben would have grown bristly shy at the kind words, snappily brushing them off rather than face the awkwardness of accepting a compliment, similar to Mal’s standard reaction. The Sins incident had changed him though and he simply smiled, a little shy still, but clearly glad of their friendship. “Thank you. I… maybe you are right. I will apologise for my behaviour, because I really should not make a scene, but – maybe not for the rest.”

“Well, if you are not doing so until tomorrow, perhaps we might read with Mal some now,” Wolfe suggested, getting to his feet. “I am sure he is anxious to find out the true culprit, whether he believes it is the policeman or not.”

Ben brought his hands to his face in distress, though Wolfe was glad to see he was smiling. “If I have to hear about that policeman _one more time_ –“

Wolfe laughed, reassured his friend was fine after all, that such knocks no longer laid him out for days but mere minutes, and went to get the book from his and Mal’s bedroom. He knew it would be in there, because he’d found Mal struggling his way through the last page alone that morning.

**Author's Note:**

> hhh nearly midnight sleep time, why is this so long?? Because I had fun Mal messing around about the mystery novel, that's why. Poor Ben bless him, least he has his friends! Comments and kudos loved as ever, thanks 4 reading <3


End file.
